Nebraska baseball began the 2026 season with a dream start, traveling out west to the MLB Desert Invitational and pummeling UConn 12-2.
The Huskers used two separate explosive scoring bursts to put away the 2025 Big East runners-up. They started hot with five runs in the first two innings to jump out to a 5-1 lead.
Ty Horn settled in and delivered 4 2/3 strong innings, tallying six strikeouts before handing the ball to a bullpen that limited the Huskies to just one run. The pitching staff managed nine strikeouts despite losing over half of the strikeouts from last season.
The second offensive onslaught came in the sixth and seventh innings, when nine hits resulted in seven runs. Dylan Carey capped the surge with a double that helped slam the door on the Huskies. Cole Kitchens delivered a strong debut in a Husker uniform. The senior tallied three hits in four at-bats and drove in three runs, all of which came on his bases-clearing double in his first trip to the plate.
Freshman Jeter Worthley shined in his first collegiate action. The brother of senior reliever Jalen Worthley, Jeter filled the leadoff spot and managing the game at catcher. The Lincoln East graduate knocked two hits including an extra-base hit while playing stellar defense.
Here are three takeaways from the season-opening win…
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Middle of the order provides hot-start
Two-out hitting was a hot topic last season surrounding the Huskers but began the 2026 season as a moot point. When the five-hole Carey stepped to the plate for his first at-bat, the Huskers had Worthley and Joshua Overbeek on the basepaths thanks to two walks from UConn starter Charlie West. Carey pulled an 82 mph slider off the outer part of the plate into left field. Worthley, who reached after being hit by a pitch, scored the first run of the Huskers’ season.
The Huskers lost 53% of their RBIs from last season. Will Bolt found a key replacement in Kitchens, a transfer from Southern Indiana who came to the plate with the bases loaded and emptied them on one swing. Kitchens smacked a line drive down the right-field line for a bases-clearing double. The 90 mph fastball, which Kitchens slapped the other way, gave NU a 4-1 lead in the first inning.
The Huskers added another run in the second inning on a fielder’s choice from Overbeek to make it 5-1.
The Huskers were able to get to UConn star pitcher Charlie West. West, who finished the 2025 season with a sub-three ERA, posted a disappointing line that included six walks and six strikeouts. West handled 2025 All-Freshman performer Devin Nunez, striking him out twice, while also sitting Washburn transfer Jett Buck down twice.
Horn settles in and delivers strong opening effort
Horn was a critical piece of the Big Ten Conference Championship. The junior, who finds himself in a new-found ace role this season, delivered a near quality-start in his season debut.
The Wichita native, worked through 4 2/3 innings while surrendering just one earned run. Horn navigated through some traffic by yielding four free-passes, but he leaned on a strong mix of fastball and slider to rack up six strikeouts. The right-hander scattered three hits across his outing, keeping the UConn bats at bay after the early offensive showing.
The senior posted a 4-4 record last season, fanning a team-high 76 hitters in 85 2/3 innings while proving a master at escaping jams. He left a runner on for Caleb Clark, the first man out of the bullpen, but Clark ended the fifth inning with a three-pitch strikeout to leave the Huskies stranded.
Clark settled into a groove in the sixth, retiring UConn in order for a three-up, three-down frame. After yielding two walks in the seventh, he handed the ball to Tucker Timmerman, the same pitcher who famously took a one-hopper to the face during last year’s MLB Desert Invitational.
Timmerman inherited runners at first and second on Friday as Minick stepped to the plate. Minick poked the first pitch he saw to the opposite field, driving in the Huskies’ first run since the opening frame. However, Buck and Carey quickly turned a double play to kill the momentum and send the Husker bats back to work.
Late offense carries Nebraska to victory
The Huskers’ offense caught fire in the bottom of the sixth, using a three-run outburst to blow the game open. Worthley sparked the frame with a leadoff single, and despite being picked off, the Nebraska bats refused to quiet down. Buck drew a walk and Sanderson followed with a single, setting the stage for Overbeek who delivered the knockout blow with a two-RBI double down the right-field line.
A throwing error by the UConn second baseman allowed Overbeek to take third, while both Buck and Sanderson crossed the plate. Dylan Carey then padded the lead with an RBI single to left field, marking a three-run, four-hit clinic for the Big Red.
Then NU put it away quick in the seventh inning. Worthley sparked another rally, roping a 1-1 offering and lacing a double down the right-field line to put a runner in scoring position.
Buck followed suit, clearing the bases with an RBI double to right-center field that drove Worthley home. After Rhett Stokes entered to pinch-run, Sanderson kept the line moving with an RBI single down the left-field line. Carey ended the game in mercy-rule fashion with a two-RBI double off the center-field.
After a dominant game one, Nebraska will turn it around in 24 hours to tackle another tough opponent. Northeastern is coming off a 49-win season and has high expectations for 2026. First pitch is slotted for 7:30 p.m., with Carson Jasa getting the ball for the Big Red.